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I love to talk shop with some of my favorite people. I'm a big fan of simple living, but it's not just about getting rid of your stuff—it’s about living holistically with your life’s purpose. On the show, I talk with other people about what that looks like for them. Whatever their passion, that's what's on tap: food, travel, writing, books, parenting, work, fashion, and everything in between. Head here!

Upstream Field Guide is a self-guided course to help you discover what it looks like in your life to simplify, discover your purpose and passions, and take the risks necessary to live according to that purpose—to live upstream. Head here to check it out.

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#067: Freedom From Stuff

by Tsh Oxenreider

Tsh is the founder of this blog and just finished traveling around the world with her husband and 3 kids. Her latest book is Notes From a Blue Bike, and believes a passport is one of the world's greatest textbooks.

Joshua Becker writes a blog called Becoming Minimalist, and that title describes well his journey: he hasn’t figured out all the ins and outs of minimalism… he’s becoming one. He and I chat about what it means to live simply by living with less. Both of us are parents, we both live in the real world, and we’ve both experienced the peace and satisfaction from getting rid of needless stuff and pursuing a life without consumption as a hobby.

I also talk about safety while traveling with kids, since we’re gearing up for a year of world travel!

Great conversation! We interviewed Joshua, too, on Clutter Interrupted Radio. LOVE his message. It has changed my thinking and is slowly infiltrating my living…slowly being the key word as it does take some practice! Joshua would be proud knowing I got rid of another blanket today! (haha…listen to our interview with him to know what I’m talking about). Tsh, we’d love to interview you, too. I can never get enough on the art of living simply! Chelle or I will email you!

I have a question for you both… I tend to hold on to tubs of clothing from my little one for the next kid. How do you navigate things you know can be used later on? You save money by handing down the clothes to the next one but it sure would declutter the garage to get rid of the tubs. So are there things you’ve held onto knowing you’ll be using them for the next kid?

Our philosophy was to pass the clothes on to new-parent friends who needed them. We figured the chances of our next baby being the same-gender and born in the same-season weren’t as high as most people think—and never a 100% certainty. Meanwhile, we had new parents in our life who certainly did need the clothing.

You can do far more good (and find far more joy) by giving them to another rather than keeping them for yourselves. If another family can use them today, you’ll reduce your clutter—and the act of generosity will likely be returned in the future.

Brynn, Your question kind of relates to one of my favorite ideas in this podcast: treating the thrift store like your storage facility. I love this! We all need different things at different times in life. How cool to just release what you don’t need right now, believing that when/if you need it again, there will be something equally useful waiting there for you! I sympathize with the tubs. They are heavy on the mind.